Lubricating means for sewing machine loop-takers



Aug. 30, 1938. w, MYERs 2,128,573

LUBRICA'I'ING MEANS FOR .SEWING MACHINE LOOP-TAKERS l l E Filed NQV. 12, 1937 v Patented Aug. 30, 1 938 UNITED sTArEs PATENT OFFICIE.

2,128,513 LUBRIOATING Means ron sawmc mom Loor-rAKEas Walter Myers, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth,

N. J.,- a corporation of New Jersey Application November 12, 1937, Serial No. 174,137

12 Claimsf (01. 112-256) V rotary loop-takersand to bearings of the loop taker actuating shafts: Other objects of the invention'will be. apparent from the following de;

- scription and claims. v

The invention consists in the lubricating means hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a -preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Fig; 1 represents a vertical section of a portion i of the bed-plate of a sewing machine containing the improvement, the needle and the lower portion of the needle-bar beinglshown in elevation. Fig. -2 represents a cross-section on substantially the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. The sewing machine illustrated in the drawing has a work-supporting bed-plate I provided with a throat-plate 2 having the usual aperture 3 for the vertically reciprocatory needle 6 carried by the needle-bar 5. 1

Cooperating with the needle 4, below the is a rotary loop-taker 6 which, in the present instance, is of the horizontal-axis rotary-hook type and performs two rotations for each reciprocation of the needle. The loop-taker 6 has a cupshaped body internally provided with an annular raceway l. Journal'ed in the raceway l is the peripheral bearing rib B of a thread-case 9', said thread-case being restrained against rotation with the loop-taker by a stationary stop-finger l0.

The loop-taker 6 has a hub ll of which the axial aperture is closed at the inner face of the loop-taker body by a plate l2. The loop-taker body has a radially extending duct l3 connected at-its outer end with a transverse, wickfllled duct It opening into the raceway I. The duct 13 is illustrated, in the drawing also as wick-filled,-

but this wicking may be omitted.

The hub H of the loop-taker t is secured by'a screw l5 upon one end of a horizontally disposed loop-taker shaft IS, the end of saidshaft within the hub It being preferably spaced from the plate l2 to provide therebetween an annular recess ll in which the inner end of the radial duct l3 terthroat-plate 2, in the formation of lock-stitches.

minates. The shaft l3 isrotatably journaled in a horizontal aperture 18 of a bearing-bushing l9, secured by a screw 20 for endwise adjustment in an aperture 2 I, provided in a casing or supporting block 22 depending from the bed-plate l.

The loop-taker hubv ll abuts one end of the bearing-bushing l9 and extendsthrough a clearance-aperture 23 of a guard-plate having an annular flange 25 secured by screws 26 to the end-face of the supporting block 22, 'a sealing gasket 21 being preferably interposed between the flange 25 and the block 22. The flanged guardplate 24 provides a cavity 28 collecting oil seeping from the adjacent end of the shaft-bearing aperture i8 of the bearing-bushing i 9, which oil is centrifugally thrown ofi by the end of the looptaker hub ll. 'Ihe oil-collecting cavity 28 is constantly drained through a groove 29 in the outer face of and extending lengthwise of the bushing it from the bottom of said cavity 28.

The casing or supporting block 22 is provided with a downwardly open cavity 30, closed by a plate 38 removably secured to the bottom of said block by screws 32, a gasket 33 being preferably: employed to seai the joint. One end of the bearing-bushing l9 extends into the cavity 30, and the end of the loop-taker shaft l6 within said cavity carries a driven spur-gear 34 which bears against said end of the bushing. Meshing with the spur-gear 34 is a driving spur-gear 35 secured by a screw 36 upon one end of .a loop-taker actuating shaft 31. The shaft 31 is journaled in a bearing-bushing 38 secured by a screw-39 for endwise adjustment in a horizontal aperture til, provided in the wall of the block 22 at the side of the cavity opposite to the wall which supports the bushing Hi. In the present case, the spur-gears are proportioned so thatthe loop-taker shaft rotates twice for each rotation of the shaft 31, the latter performing one rotation for each complete reciprocation of the needle and being actuated in any usual or suitable manner.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the gears 34 and are housed in the cavity 30 of the block 22. ,The cavity 30 also serves as a lubricant chamber, the lubricant being supplied thereto through an aperture M in the bed-plate I and opening into said cavity, said aperture lil being normally closed by a screwplug 42. The depth of the lubricant in the cavity 30 is, preferably limited by providing a side wall of said cavity with an aperture 43 normally closed by a screw-plug 44, said aperture 43 being so located that the teeth of the driving spur-gear) 35 dip into the lubricant.

The loop-taker shaft It has a longitudinal bore 65 extending throughout the length of the shaft, the end'of said shaft carrying the loop-taker being counter-bored to provide an annular shaftrecess 66 adjacent to and opening into the looptaker recess ll. Suspended lengthwise in the shaft-bore so as to be spaced from the shaft I6 is a stationary oil-conduit in the form of a tube 47, of which one end terminates in the loop-taker recess I! and the other end is suitably secured in a horizontal aperture 68 provided in a supporting plug 49. The plug 49 is adjustably secured by a screw 50 in an aperture 5| of the block 22, in alinement with the bearing-bushing aperture 2| of said block, said plug extending into the blockcavity 30 and having its inner end closely adjacent to the spur-gear 3% as well as spaced from the upper wall of said cavity 30. The described inner end of the supporting-plug i9 is provided with a substantially vertical oil-collecting pocket 52, said pocket having its open upper end exposed within the cavity 30 and its lower end connected with the tube 47.

During the operation of the machine, the rotating gears 34, 35 serve as lubricant-impelling means, and splash the lubricant against the upper wall of the cavity 30, a portion of said lubricant being collected by the pocket 52 and being delivered by the stationary tube 51 into the looptaker recess IT for supplying lubricant to the connected wick-filled ducts Hi, It of the looptaker. Excess lubricant delivered by the tube M will drain back through the shaft-bore 65, outside the tube 61, and into the block-cavity 30. 1 As said bore is disposed above the loop-taker recess I! in the usual stopping position of the machine with the needle in raised position, so that no lubricant is supplied to said radial bore when the machine is idle.

Inasmuch as oil is splashed against the top wall of the cavity 30 at even moderate speeds of operation of the machine, oil is collected in the pocket 52 at any speeds actually requiring lubrication of the loop-taker raceway. The oil is de-v livered without pressure by the tube M to the loop-taker recess I1 and, while it will therefore be understood that the supply is substantially constant, the quantity of oil conducted to the raceway I varies with the centrifugal oil-feeding action through the radial bore I3 of the loop-taker at different speeds of operation of the machine. This action is permitted because of the fact that an excess of oil is delivered by the tube 41, as already described.

The end-portion of the bearing-bushing I! which extends into the cavity 30 is provided with an oil-duct 53 having its open outer end directed toward the upper wall of the cavity 30 and its inner end terminating in a groove 54 in and extending lengthwise of the shaft-bearing face of the bushing 19, said groove preferably terminating short of the opposite ends of the bushing. As previously explained, any oil which may seep from the bushing at the loop-taker end of the shaft I6 is collected in the cavity 28 and is returned through the drainage groove 29- to the block-cavity 30. I

araawa The actuating shaft bushing 38 is likewise provided with an oil-collecting duct 55 which opens into a groove 56 in and extending lengthwise 0f the shaft-bearing face of said bushing 38, said groove preferably terminating short of the opposite ends of the bushing. It will therefore be understood that the bearings for the shafts l6 and 31, carried by the block 22 are automatically lubricated upon operation of the machine.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:--

1. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and provided with a recess having lubricant-conducting connections with said raceway, a stationary lubricant-conduit terminating in said recess substantially axially of I said loop taker body, and

means for supplying lubricant to said conduit.

2. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and provided centrally of said body with a recess having lubricant-conducting connections with said 'raceway, a stationary lubricant-conduit coaxial with said body and terminating in said recess, and means for supplying lubricant to said conduit.

3. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker having a thread-carrier raceway, a rotary shaft carrying said loop-taker and provided with a longitudinal bore having lubricant-conducting connections with said raceway, a stationary tubular conduit extending lengthwise of said shaft bore within and in spaced relation to said shaft, and means effective during the operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said conduit.

4. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and radially-extending means for conducting lubricant to said raceway, a rotary loop-taker shaft having a longitudinal bore, a stationary lubricant-com duit disposed within the bore of said shaft and having one end terminating adjacent to said radially-extending means, and means efiective during the operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said conduit.

5. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and lubricant-conducting means connected with said raceway, a rotary shaft carrying said loop-taker body and provided with a longitudinal bore, a stationary conduit disposed lengthwise in the bore of said shaft, said conduit having one end terminating adjacent to said lubricant-conducting means of the loop-taker body, and means effective during the operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said conduit.

6. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop taker body having a thread-carrier raceway, a stationary lubricant-conduit coaxial with said raceway and extending into said body, means effective during the operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said conduit, and means for directing to said raceway lubricant delivered by said conduit within said body.

'1. In a sewing machine, a rotary shaft, a looptaker carried by one end of said shaft and having a thread-carrier raceway, said shaft having a longitudinal bore extending from the end of said shaft opposite to the loop taker end thereof and having lubricant-conducting connections with said raceway, a stationary tubular conduit extending into the bore of and spaced from said shaft, a conduifisupporting member having alubricantcollecting pocket open to saidconduit, and means effective during the operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said pocket.

8. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and provided centrally of said body with a recess having lubricant-conducting connections with said raceway, a rotary shaft carrying said loop-taker and having a longitudinal bore, a stationary lubricantconduit extending lengthwise through said shaftbore and having one end terminating in said recess, a member supporting the other end of said conduit and provided with a lubricant-collecting pocket open to said conduit, and means effective during the operation of the machine for supplying lubricant to said pocket.

9. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and provided with a recess having lubricant-conducting connections with said raceway, a casing having a. lubricant-supply chamber, means efiective during the operation of the machine for delivering lubricant to said recess from said chamber, and means for draining into said chamber excess lubricant delivered to said recess.

10. In a sewing machine, a rotary loop-taker body having a thread-carrier raceway and provided with a recess having lubricant-conducting connections with said raceway, a rotary looptaker carrying shaft having a longitudinal bore terminating at one end in said recess, a stationary lubricant-conduit disposed lengthwise within said shaft to provide a recess-draining channel in the bore of said shaft exteriorly of said conduit, said conduit having one end terminating in said recess,

and means connected to the other end of said conduit for supplying lubricant thereto.

11 In a sewing machine, a rotary shaft havin a longitudinal bore, a centrally recessed- 100ptaker body secured upon one end of said shaft and provided with a thread-case raceway having lubric ant-conducting connections with the central recess of said body,- said shaft-bore having a counter-bore connection with said recess, a lubricant-conduit disposed in the bore of said shaft and having one end terminating in said recess, and means connected to the other end of said conduit for supplying lubricant thereto.

12. A sewing machine having a cloth-plate, a supporting block depending from said cloth-plate and provided witha lubricant-supply chamber,

lubricant-impelling means within said chamber, a horizontally apertured bearing-bushing secured in said supporting block and having a lubricantcollecting duct within said chamber, a. rotary shaft journaled in said bearing-bushing,'a.looptaker secured upon one end of said shaft and having a thread-case raceway, a lubricant-collecting pocket within said chamber, means for directing lubricant collected by said pocket to said raceway, means for directing lubricant collected by said duct lengthwise of the shaft-bearing face of said bushing, a guard-plate providing an oil-collecting cavity at the loop-taker end of said bushing, and means for draining lubricant from said guard-plate cavity into said chamber.

WALTER MYERS. 

